Thailand 2009 - The Bridge Over The River Kwai

This will be an occasional blog.

Im planning 3 weeks in Thailand from the middle of March this year through to early April. This is the first of a couple of visits I intend to make to South East Asia over the next couple of years. Eventually I want to travel south from Bangkok through Malaysia and visit the 2nd Bn's location from the Emergency in the 1950's. I also have half an eye on Kohima in Nagaland....Now that would be a visit worth making.

During this visit with my partner Sharon, as well as travelling to Bangkok and Koh Samui, we also intend to head north for a few days and visit the town of Kanchanaburi, and the nearby Death Railway. The town is located about 2 hrs by train from Bangkok.

http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm

Once there you can head further north and trek along part of the track that was cut through the jungle by unfortunate POW's.

My interest was spurred by the book "The Colonel Of Tamarakind" The real life "Col Bogey". At this stage i'm unsure if any RWF died in the construction of the railway, although it is a possibility, if they went "into the bag" during 1943/44.

So far I have booked Sharons flight, which came in at £650, from travelbag. Its with Swiss + and is from Manchester via Zurich to Bangkok. I will be meeting her there, as I travel in from Dubai. If I had booked her flights 24hrs earlier I could have got her a flight with Emirates for £530 !!!!!

More updates to follow. Feel free to contribute.

Hi Al i have not long come back from Thailand and visited many places such as Bangkok phetchaburi phetchabun and Koh samui and i also traveled up from Singapore thru Malasia as they were having the problems in the airport the time i went.so if you require any info please dont hesitate. also im not sure if you have booked your flight yet but i received a email yesterday from Qatar airways they are offering at the moment £350 all in from London to Bangkok, if you or any one else is intersted drop me a line and i will pass on the relevant info on. Hope you have a awsome time Al its a wonderful country with wonderful people.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ap1

This will be an occasional blog.

Im planning 3 weeks in Thailand from the middle of March this year through to early April. This is the first of a couple of visits I intend to make to South East Asia over the next couple of years. Eventually I want to travel south from Bangkok through Malaysia and visit the 2nd Bn's location from the Emergency in the 1950's. I also have half an eye on Kohima in Nagaland....Now that would be a visit worth making.

During this visit with my partner Sharon, as well as travelling to Bangkok and Koh Samui, we also intend to head north for a few days and visit the town of Kanchanaburi, and the nearby Death Railway. The town is located about 2 hrs by train from Bangkok.

http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm

Once there you can head further north and trek along part of the track that was cut through the jungle by unfortunate POW's.

My interest was spurred by the book "The Colonel Of Tamarakind" The real life "Col Bogey". At this stage i'm unsure if any RWF died in the construction of the railway, although it is a possibility, if they went "into the bag" during 1943/44.

So far I have booked Sharons flight, which came in at £650, from travelbag. Its with Swiss + and is from Manchester via Zurich to Bangkok. I will be meeting her there, as I travel in from Dubai. If I had booked her flights 24hrs earlier I could have got her a flight with Emirates for £530 !!!!!

More updates to follow. Feel free to contribute.

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Cheers Daz,

Unfortunately the flight is already booked, but thanks for the offer. I think I will probably do the trip south through Thailand, Malaysia and into Singapore next year. This trip in March will be an introduction really, as I have never visited the area. Where did you stay in Ko Samui, and did you book those flights to that island before you arrived in country?

Looking at Kanchanaburi, they have an extensive CWGC Cemetery, however the CWGC site does not have the capacity to search by regiment, so at this stage I have no idea if any RWF guys are buried there. Any pointers from members on that will be appreciated. I'm thinking there probably isn't but you never know....some poor bugger who had his dream posting to Singapore in 1940 as Brigade Post NCO or something similar!!!!! It happens all the time.

I'm doing some checking on Kanchanaburi, so far done to the letter I. Still noone listed as RWF, but I found one man that must have started out (his number is in the 417-425 bracket) as RWF and then rebadged as RA, Henry Lloyd Hughes from Mold, Flintshire: http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_...sualty=2823141

Did not the 5th Battalion become Artillery in WWII?

Will let you know if I find anyone else.

Edit: Found two more, the first REME, the other also RA. No badged RWF in the cemetery what i could find.

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2823333
David Ivor Jones

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2195632
William Arthur Williams

Kind regards,
Lars

Excellent Lars, great job and very much appreciated.

Your correct about the RA links. Something in the back of my mind keeps refering to a story I read. Possibly!! an RWF RA Unit in a jungle box, isolated and gettin a hammering. I think they end up extracting at night, virtually every man for himself. I may be confused, I read so much stuff over the last few years, but I think it was in Red Dragon.

Looking at the details of guys in the cemetary, one is of potential interest. The guy, David Jones lived in Llanfyllin and was married. Its a long shot, but hopefully Ritchie 64(his wife is Llanfyllin born) could have look at the details and see if he thinks any great grandchildren are in the area. It would be quite nice to obtain a picture of his grave for his surviving family.

Trip planning continues. I've now booked my first 4 days accom in Bangkok. Look at the hotels there are some fantastic deals, the words "Cheap as Chips" springs to mind. Having spent the last 9 weeks living in a 2 man bunk here in not so sunny Kabul, I've decided to cough up a little extra, and found a decent place in the Embassy district.

Looking at the websites about Kanchanaburi,

http://www.visitkanchanaburi.com/home.htm

There appears to be a lot more to the area, than just the Railway. You can rent bungalows in stunning jungle retreats for about £20-40 per day...

Now Sharon hates spiders...so you can see where i'm going with this...I'd love to watch her knocking up a quick "A Frame" in the dying heat of the afternoon....."C'mon, you've got 10 mins till last light or your sleeping on the floor!!!!" .....Put that light out!!!! Oh! and your on stag in 10.

No probs Al, well i didnt fly into samui i originally booked a first clast sleeper from Bangkok down to samui but with the troubles at the time in bkk airport i couldnt make it and they wouldnt refund me. if your intersted its an overnight jobby leaving bkk at about 7 in the evening and you arrive in Surat thani about 6 in the morning. one thing i will add tho is if your going to do it you will need to book it sharpish and the best option is the 1st class sleeper ( your own cabin with 2 bunk beds and a wash basin oh and air con which can get a little cold at night as u cant adjust it) shouldnt set you back more than 1300 baht each well worth it. that price will include excursion from train station to the docks where u will get the ferry over to koh samui) i have stayed in a few places on samui but the place i like the most is Mae nam you can get some nice places on or near the beach which wont set you back too much. the other areas like Chaweng and Lamai are very commersialised and expensive in comparison hire yourself a scooter u shouldnt pay more than 250 baht a day or if your ataying longer haggle a better price, oh and watch the roads there mate they are horendous and the rd conditions change every day so be safe n wear a helmet can be the differnce between life n death i seen a very bad smash there this last time i was there. you will enjoy samui lots of things to do. well hope that has pointed you in the right direction any more info feel free
all the best mate and if i dont hear from you before you go i hope you and your wife have a wicked time. (so jelous)

oh whats the name of your hotel?
check out legacy suites bangkok this is where i stay usually and its a bargain

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ap1

Cheers Daz,

Unfortunately the flight is already booked, but thanks for the offer. I think I will probably do the trip south through Thailand, Malaysia and into Singapore next year. This trip in March will be an introduction really, as I have never visited the area. Where did you stay in Ko Samui, and did you book those flights to that island before you arrived in country?

Looking at Kanchanaburi, they have an extensive CWGC Cemetery, however the CWGC site does not have the capacity to search by regiment, so at this stage I have no idea if any RWF guys are buried there. Any pointers from members on that will be appreciated. I'm thinking there probably isn't but you never know....some poor bugger who had his dream posting to Singapore in 1940 as Brigade Post NCO or something similar!!!!! It happens all the time.

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Funny enough, I've been looking at the sleeper/ferry option to Ko Samui, and I think its probably what we will do.

The Bangkok hotel I've gone for is the Swissotel Nai Lert Park. It aint cheap but I get a room upgrade...plus I have a couple of days to kill before the other half arrives and its a bit of a resort within the city, which will keep me suitably occupied.

At Kanachanburi we are staying at the Oriental Kwai Resort. We've taken 4 nights, so we will be able to to the POW stuff in full without rushing it.

http://www.orientalkwai.com/

I'm currently relaxing in Bangkok, awaiting the arrival of "She who must be obeyed". I'll then be heading up to Kanchanaburi(River Kwai) next Monday for 4 days. If anyone has relatives buried in that cemetary, let me know the details and I will happily get a picture for you.

Likewise same details for any of the RRW boys who may read this thread, if they can post the details of my visit on the RW Vets site please.

Thanks

Having been in Bangkok for about 5 days, I would say its a frenetic city, where east meets west. What i've loved about the stay in the city is everyone is friendly and welcoming, I know its a cliche, but its true. The people who live here are happy enjoying all trappings of big city life, bars, great shopping, good transportation, decent wages. However their lives still revolve around their Buddhist religion, there are temples and small shrines everywhere.

Its a great big melting pot, everyone just rubs along fine, getting on with their busy lives. Having been here by myself for most of the time, I have not once felt uncomfortable or threatened. Certainly females travelling around here, would find it a completely different experience to say Egypt or Tunisia.

On Monday, Sharon and myself headed to Thornburi Stn, in the west of Bangkok, and picked up a local train to Kanchanaburi. It was 3rd class, just us and mostly locals. The journey took 3hrs and it was a great way to see the country outside of the Bangkok fishbowl. As we started to get closer to our destination, we started to pass through stations with names that were familiar to anyone who has read the stories from the death railway.

On arrival at Kanchanaburi, we were picked up and taken to our accomodation at The Oriental Kwai Resort www.orientalkwairesort.com Wow, we were blown away, a small set up owned and run by Thai/Dutch family, its about 10kms from the town, set in lush jungle alongside the Mae Klong River, visually its stunning and it really does take your breath away. It is very small with only 10 cottages, so the service is top class. The accom costs about £60 a night per cottage(with breakfast). The food and drink are very cheap, by uk standards, although you will find cheaper in the area. They have access to their own cars, and a round trip to the town will cost 400bht(about £8).


On Tues, we hired up a Longtail Boat and sped down the river to The Bridge Over The River Kwai. The journey took about 30 mins, and it was a great way to catch that first glimpse of the bridge as we snaked around a river bend. The main pillars of the bridge are still standing, clearly showing the bomb damage from another era. The bridge itself was badly damaged, and had to be rebuilt using some of the metal spars etc.

At the moment Im reading "The Railway Man" by Eric Lomax. He was held and tortured in Kanchanaburi by the Jap Secret Police. Its seem strange to visiting an area frequented by tourists that in a previous life meant so much suffering to British and Allied soldiers. One of Lomax's torturers later overcome by guilt opened a Buddhist Temple next to the bridge and funded a lot of charity work. Lomax later met him at the bridge, some of you may recall the documentary. Anyway the book brings everything sharply into focus, and allows you to see beyond the tourist sites.

Later in the afternoon, we travelled to the Allied Cemetery and the adjoining museum, where over 7000 unfortunates are buried. We spent the afternoon photographing a decent sized number of graves for Forum Member "Memorialman". Its seems a strange thing to be doing on your holiday, but it was actually very satisfying for both of us.